Little Things

From the brass knocker that indicates a guest’s room number to the matching brass plate on the electronics charging box inside; from the intricate patterns of the stair railings to the wallpaper stripes; from the ever-changing flowers in the front hall to the roses on the carpet – the tiniest of details come together to create the Pfister experience. Most people come inside and are so mesmerized by how it all comes together in its final tableau, the details are easily overlooked.

For example, the grand elegance of the lobby with its varieties of Italian marble, pink and gold coloring, wide-open space ringed by impressive pillars, and lofty ceilings that rise over two stories above to a colorful mural, may be one fabulous picture. However, stop to take a closer peek: See how the carpet at the main entrance is blue and gold, but there’s a rug over it that has veins of aquamarine, cranberry and mauve outlining the dueling blues – all populated with verdant patterns of decorative botanic designs that mimic those ringing the pillars and wrought into the railings along the staircases. See how the gold is then subtly trimming the edges and knobs on the two black wood tables that proudly display petals and blooms of all kinds and colors.

Certainly the Victorian art that adorns the public spaces is noticeable, but it’s good to stop and examine them more closely, catching the way a painter labored over the softness on the chiffon sleeves that cloud the arms of the angelic model in Adolphe Piot’s The Rose. Or, catch how much a cherub looks like one of the Pfister employees*.

When walking the halls where the rooms are located, simply look up. While you may take note of the lighting’s luminescence, have you considered the luminaries themselves? These brass fixtures with white shades also mirror the rounded, petaled designs strewn throughout the entire hotel’s décor. However subtle and simple, their classic appearance hearkens to that lamp you remember from your grandmother or great-grandmother’s parlor room, the electrical wires woven through golden chain links.

Each guest room door (even they vary in style—look for some with oval, some with rectangular cutouts, some with trim and some without) features a golden knocker with the room number etched into the brass in a deep, contrasting black.

Take the elevator to Blu. Notice the numbers? What’s missing? Ah, yes, the superstitious “thirteen.” I, of course, always think that just makes floor 14 really 13, and so on up to the top until the 23rd floor really becomes only the 22nd. But, I do love it when a building skips the thirteenth floor when numbering their levels. It creates a bit of a literary history note, some flair that creates a connection to the time when the building was erected.

Of course, the carpet outside of Blu is…well, BLUE! An exquisite navy blue is primary, overlaid by more contemporary floral patterns of the palest shades, bordering on cream or white. Braided throughout are curlicues – as if an artist patiently drew their finger in linking circular patterns while the carpet was being dyed, and this solo-digit trail was all that was left behind.

Speaking of the elevators, have you seen the star-shaped compass design that is inlaid into the marble outside the 7th floor doors? With forest green, pale mauve, and white points set on a cookies-n-cream ice cream floor, it stands out while being stood upon.

And, standing out is precisely the purpose of every one of these minute details. Each tiny component of aesthete sets out to complement its neighbor in a way that renders each nearly invisible. Take the time to stop, look closer, and you might be even more astounded by what you find.

*Which painting and which employee isn’t a secret, but you’ll have to come visit and ask around to find out!

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Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything. Do you have any points for rookie blog writers? I’d genuinely appreciate it.

1. Read a lot of blogs that offer up the kind of information or stories that you wish to share. This will help you see what’s out there and find out how you can fit in, offering something that’s different or unique or that adds to the overall conversation.

2. When you write a post, keep it succinct. Not that a lengthy, detailed post is bad, but if you go on too long, you’ll lose your reader. Blog posts are meant to offer up snapshots or glimpses, to engage people who might otherwise not engage one another. They aren’t feature length essays.

3. Use photos and graphics to enhance your posts.

4. Link to places outside your blog/website as much as possible. This helps connect you to others on the web and enhance your presence on the web.

5. Respond to comments in a timely fashion – as timely as you can – and comment on other related blogs as often as possible, too.

Good luck!

About the author

With a love of stories and storytelling, Stacie Williams has worked at a local Milwaukee bookstore for six years, and has experience in travel writing and blogging. In 1998, she moved from California to study theater at University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, and stayed.

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Jonathan West – The Current Narrator

A writer, actor, director and raconteur, West has written for various arts and architecture publications, been a commentator for WUWMs Lake Effect, and shares his opinions and insights on culture and the art of everyday life on his blog Artsy Schmartsy. He served as Head Writer for Wisconsin Public Radios Hotel Milwaukee, and his book Milwaukees Live Theater was published in 2009 by Arcadia Publishing as part of their Images of America Series. He most recently served as Director of Communications for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. West has been an active theatre professional for more than 20 years.

Along with his wife, opera director Paula Suozzi, and two daughters, Dorothea and Carmela, West lives in a cozy bungalow in Bay View, which he refers to as “the finest neighborhood in the world for beer gardens in lush parks, coffee joints, barbershops, record stores and pizzerias.” He can be identified by his signature bow tie.